The electorate is always told it is necessary to raise the salaries of elected federal officials in order to attract talent. Well, it is time for an accounting to that reality, including the spending policies of the GSA.
Effective Jan. 1, 2001, the salary of the president of the United States was increased to $390,000 per year including a $50,000 expense account....
..."For compensation of the President, (click here) including an expense allowance at the rate of $50,000 per annum as authorized by 3 U.S.C. 102, $390,000: Provided, That none of the funds made available for official expenses shall be expended for any other purpose and any unused amount shall revert to the Treasury pursuant to section 1552 of title 31, United States Code: Provided further, That none of the funds made available for official expenses shall be considered as taxable to the President." -- as printed in the Congressional Record, December 15, 2000 (Vol. 146, No. 155)....
The GSA (click here) should have to justify their spending. Its spending should not be viewed as a patriot role to help the economy either.
We already know the government losses competent employees to the private sector on a regular basis and that is the case with the GSA as well. It is questionable the budgets for these events actually retain employees, but, there needs to be an analysis by the Government Accounting Office, as if they don't have enough work to do.
But the approach by the Majority GOP House is a complete joke. All of a sudden, the GOP has found oversight is necessary when it was absent for the previous administration.
I want an analysis of the spending of the GSA (US General Services Administration) in the Obama years vs the Bush years. SERIOUSLY. The Bush years had absolutely no oversight, except perhaps beginning with 2006 elections.
This is still another attempt by the GOP to cherry pick issues that were completely ignored in the previous administration.
6:07 a.m. Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Effective Jan. 1, 2001, the salary of the president of the United States was increased to $390,000 per year including a $50,000 expense account....
..."For compensation of the President, (click here) including an expense allowance at the rate of $50,000 per annum as authorized by 3 U.S.C. 102, $390,000: Provided, That none of the funds made available for official expenses shall be expended for any other purpose and any unused amount shall revert to the Treasury pursuant to section 1552 of title 31, United States Code: Provided further, That none of the funds made available for official expenses shall be considered as taxable to the President." -- as printed in the Congressional Record, December 15, 2000 (Vol. 146, No. 155)....
The GSA (click here) should have to justify their spending. Its spending should not be viewed as a patriot role to help the economy either.
We already know the government losses competent employees to the private sector on a regular basis and that is the case with the GSA as well. It is questionable the budgets for these events actually retain employees, but, there needs to be an analysis by the Government Accounting Office, as if they don't have enough work to do.
But the approach by the Majority GOP House is a complete joke. All of a sudden, the GOP has found oversight is necessary when it was absent for the previous administration.
I want an analysis of the spending of the GSA (US General Services Administration) in the Obama years vs the Bush years. SERIOUSLY. The Bush years had absolutely no oversight, except perhaps beginning with 2006 elections.
This is still another attempt by the GOP to cherry pick issues that were completely ignored in the previous administration.
6:07 a.m. Tuesday, April 17, 2012
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
WASHINGTON — The General Services Administration (click title of entry - thank you) inspector general said Monday that he’s investigating possible bribery and kickbacks, as a central figure in a GSA spending scandal asserted his right to remain silent at a congressional hearing.
Members of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee voiced outrage at the scandal ignited by disclosure of a 2010 conference at a Las Vegas resort that cost taxpayers more than $800,000.
The former GSA chief who resigned because of it apologized, saying, “I will mourn for the rest of my life the loss of my appointment.” Martha Johnson said the conference “had evolved into a raucous, extravagant, arrogant, self-congratulatory event.” But she approved a $9,000 job-performance bonus for its organizer last year, against the recommendation of a deputy director, while the conference was being investigated.
Jeffrey Neely, who set up the conference and took the Fifth Amendment before the committee Monday, has been placed on leave as a regional executive in Western states....
There is a requirement now elected federal officials cannot become lobbyists for at least a year after leaving office, that should apply across the board to any high level paid employee.
